Director Paul Middleditch of production house a WHITELABEL product has teamed with VFX studio Timber on this “Epic Battle” spot for Cox Communications out of agency FCB Chicago. The ambitious ad places viewers right in the midst of an active battle, revealing that the addition of “extras,” both in battle scenes and through Cox services, is always an advantage.
To elevate the scale, ferocity and cinematic scope, Timber used crowd simulation software to take 100 extras and make them feel like 1,000. Animated characters blended seamlessly with real ones, along with CG weaponry and digital fire effects, creating a larger-than-life world akin to Game of Thrones…..
LA Film Fest Delves Into Immersive Storytelling
This year marks the launch of an immersive storytelling section of the LA Film Festival (Sept. 20-28), in partnership with LMU’s School of Film and Television, Jacqueline Lyanga (former director of the AFI Fest) will curate this section of the Festival as guest director, VR and immersive storytelling. This section will showcase exemplary, daring new work in a variety of new media platforms including VR, AI and AR. This two-day experience will be free to the public and take place September 22-23, at the new LMU Playa Vista Campus.
The LA Film Fest is also introducing We the People, a summit that is a participatory, solution-oriented call to action. Over the course of two days at the Writers Guild Theatre, September 22-23, We the People will feature free panel discussions and keynote talks on issues of representation and inclusion in the industry. The Festival is adding a partnership with the International Documentary Association to expand Film Independent and the Festival’s support of the documentary community. The Fest is introducing a Documentary Pass and centering its documentary programming at ArcLight Cinemas Hollywood to make it easily accessible to attendees of the IDA’s conference, Getting Real….
People On The Move….
Dallas-based strategic creative group ATK PLN has hired Jeff Masters as CG supervisor. Masters has over a decade of experience in VFX and animation, cutting his teeth on compositing and lighting roles for a range of feature films, commercials, theme park rides, and VR experiences out of Digital Domain and Reel FX Animation. His feature credits include Thor, 47 Ronin and Rock of Ages. Masters' skillset spans photorealistic CGI for live action projects and lighting and compositing for animation. Fusing his technical and creative expertise, he has developed proprietary tools to tackle artist efficiency and technical challenges. His work has earned numerous accolades, including a nomination for a VES Award in the Outstanding Created Environment category for the animated feature The Book of Life. Driven by dual passions for film and animation, Pittsburgh native Masters studied Visual Effects at Savannah College of Art and Design, learning hands-on with VFX internships at leading postproduction and ad shops. After graduation, he landed his first professional post as a technical director for Digital Domain where he composited live-action films and sports spots. He joined Reel FX Animation in 2012 as lead lighter, embracing the artistic possibilities of post for animation, lending his talent to feature films, branded projects and more. Masters said he was drawn in part to the boutique sensibility at ATK PLN and the opportunity to challenge himself creatively and technically with its wide slate of projects….
